UKC

Camping on Pabbay last week, the dusk air was alive with the weird, almost electronic oscillating sound of what an educated guess says were snipe. The weirdest thing about the noise was that whatever was creating it seemed to be invisible. It sounded really close, overhead and constantly changing location, just as if it was flying around about 20ft off the ground. There was enough light however to see that there was nothing there.

So are snipe invisible? Or was it, as I originally thought, an invisible alien ghost?

In reply to Jon Stewart:

I heard (and saw) this bird t'other day on a walk. Had no idea what it was though so thanks!

It seemed too small to be making such a loud and deep noise!

Audio in the link.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/snipe/

In reply to Jon Stewart:
I've heard them on Pabay myself. Great sound in the evening.
I think they dive frm a height to pick up insects.
Did you have good weather? Good time??

In reply to PaulTanton:

Courtship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drumming_(snipe)

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Did you see/hear any Corncrake on Pabbay?


https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/corncrake/index.aspx


The novelty soon wears off after a few sleepless nights!

In reply to PaulTanton:


Great weather, climbed every day on Pabbay and Mingulay. Best cliffs I've ever climbed on, especially Dun Mingulay.

In reply to Steve Crowe:


Heard them constantly, never saw one.

In reply to Colin Moody:


Yes, but why the invisibility? There were loads of us camping there and no one saw what was making the noise, which was close enough to make you duck!

In reply to Jon Stewart:

They often are high up and difficult to spot, despite sounding near. It's a great sound.

We found a snipe nest on Mingulay with 4 eggs.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

They Are hard to see because they are about the same size as a skylark and display at similar heights.

The noise is made by a feather on each side of there wing or tail which vibrates as they dive.

They only feed on the ground.

In reply to Dave Perry and Colin Moody:

Thanks - this mystery is pretty much solved (except perhaps why they sound so close). Seems I might have been wrong about the alien ghosts.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

I was listening to snipe on St Kilda over the weekend. Wonderful sound.

In reply to estivoautumnal:

I have been wanting to go and stay on St Kilda for a while now, but have always been distracted with other optional locations, but maybe this year, ( July- September)

Do you have any guidance/ contacts on getting there, camping or other accommodation, do I need to book far ahead?
(I'm not usually good at forward planning holidays, but St Kilda might have to be an exception ) .

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Strange that you couldn't see them. You can usually see several on an evening visit to Stanage at the moment, over the marshy areas near the road. If you can hear them you can usually pick them out, in fact last week I was watching one display but struggled to hear it with the wind behind me. Maybe its quieter on Pabbay? Was it misty?

In reply to Adam Long:

It was quiet and not windy on Pabbay. It was dusk, but there certainly seemed to be enough light to see something which was making such a lot of noise, seemingly so close to one's ears!

In reply to Jon Stewart:


Sounds excellent. Worth a visit for the E1 - E3 climber?

In reply to seankenny:

Worth a visit!??!? It's only by far the best trad climbing in the UK (/anywhere?)

In reply to Jon Stewart:

I like a clear and unequivocal answer

In reply to Jon Stewart:
On Mingulay last week on the evening walk back from the crag, we startled a snipe, which burst forth from (presumably) its nest in the grass. If we hadn't disturbed it we certainly wouldn't have spotted it.

By the way were you climbing on Dun Mingulay on Friday last? I've a couple of photos of the crag taken from the boat, with climbers visible (very tiny/ far away). Of no artistic merit, but may be of personal interest. Email me if you'd like copies

In reply to Jon Stewart:

I have only heard them once - just above the marshy area at Stanage Popular end as desribed by Adam. This was last summer. I wasn't able to spot the bird, it is an extremely disorienting sound and it seemed impossible to locate where it was coming from. I'd just had a near death soloing experience though so I was already a bit freaked out.

Glad Pabbay was good!

In reply to hazeysunshine:

There were a number of us climbing on Dun Mingulay last Friday (mostly from the CC, along with a couple of Swiss guys who were on Pabbay & Mingulay for a whole month).

Were you from the Pinnacle club group who were on Mingulay? If you could send me the photos it would be great to see them, I'll circulate them round the rest of the group (I'll pm you so you have my email).

Thanks, Sam

In reply to Sam Burns:

Yes I was in the Pinnacle Club group. Wow, the Swiss guys must have taken a ton of food to last a month, or were trapping rabbits, or were getting really thin!

I'll email you the photos...